I Am The Demon
by BatmanSwiss
Summary: PG for some violence. After the battle is won, another begins, and Kagome must fight for her life against a beloved friend. One-Shot


A/N: Yeah, I know, I SHOULD be working on my other WIP's. I just couldn't help myself...I wanted to play with my new Microsoft Word >aahh and this idea has been floating in my head since I wrote Kaihou. Also, please do not flame me for this...this is definately NOT the way I want things to turn out between Kagome and Inuyasha. My muse made me do it! This is simply a one-shot, so it will not be continued. Anywho, on to the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Kagome...sigh...

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** I Am The Demon**

By JediK1

It was a quiet night; the breed of evening that should have produced only peace and tranquility. But as the heavens above watched the darkened earth below, it was obvious that the truth held a horribly different story. The moon and stars shone in full brilliance, fighting for a view of the post-battle scene below with the haze that had abruptly begun rolling in. The wind, which guided the gathering clouds, was picking up at an unnatural pace, spurred on by the prone figure that glowed in the moonlight below.

"No…" a broken cry shattered the expectant hush that had fallen over the glen where a young girl bent over the body of a strange boy. The syllable fell from the maidens lips as her head shook in denial, forcing her raven tresses to sway across her shoulders. "No, Inuyasha…please…"

Her tears went unheeded by the man before her. He simply lay there in her arms, his shimmering silver hair aglow in the moonlight. She begged him; pleaded with him to wake up, but he failed to respond time after time. After a few moments, the girl began to lose hope. Finally, she gave in to her mounting grief and collapsed forward. As her head connected with the solid muscle of his chest, a strange thing began to happen.

Fear shot down the maiden's spine as she felt the body beneath her pulse not once, but twice. It was faint at first, but each beat seemed to multiply in strength. The rhythm grew stronger, faster, until finally the sheer power of the phenomenon forced the silenced heart within his chest to pump once more.

"Oh no…Inuyasha!" the girl cried out as she raised her head from the prone form. She could feel the warmth returning to his body as his heart forced the blood through his veins. But this time was different than before…the blood had changed…

Even as life seemed to return to the fallen hero, Kagome could sense that something was wrong. Slowly, she leaned forward, using one hand to tenderly brush the hair from his face. What would she see beneath those crimson stained bangs?

The strands slipped easily from his brow, and Kagome could see that his eyes were still closed. She leaned toward him, every sense keyed to the awakening hanyou as she drew closer and closer. When her face hovered just above his, she tilted her head until her ear was positioned above his dulled lips. Was he even breathing?

With her head slanted, she failed to notice the twinge of movement around his eyes.

Suddenly the beating and the constant pulse of his heart, which had grown to a near frantic height and speed, grew silent. Confusion twisted her tear-stained features as she carefully lifted herself away from the hanyou. What was happening to him?

In the seconds that followed, Kagome swore that the earth itself had simply disappeared. The forests that surrounded the glen had gone silent, so that no sound escaped the thick trees. Even the wind seemed to be holding its breath as it released its hold on the dried leaves, causing them to fall lifelessly to the ground below.

And then in the deep, expectant stillness, it struck.

The girl's scream was choked off as the clawed hand grabbed at her throat, lifting her into the air as though she were a child's rag doll. The scent of fear rolled off of the girl, drifting down into the nostrils of the beast. Her fear became an aphrodisiac, heightening his senses even more as he drunk in the heady scent. The demon flicked out his tongue, slowly drawing it across his lips in an attempt to savor the taste of her raw emotion.

Tears streamed down from her chocolate eyes. "Inu…yasha…" she managed to whisper as the strong, clawed hand tightened around her delicate throat. The name dripped with fear, anger, and a sense of betrayal. _What has happened to him?_ she thought as the demon stared at her through bloodied eyes. He had died in the battle before, but something had happened…his demon blood had taken over his soulless body…

_There's got to be some way to reach him!_ Kagome fought against the darkness that threatened at the edges of her vision, wracking her brain for any clue of how to change the hanyou back. One thought rushed into her fogging brain, and in desperation she forced the word from her lips.

"S…sit!"

Though the word was barely audible, it was enough. The girl was thrown backwards as the hand released its grip; the claws raking across her exposed flesh as she flew threw the air. Once she had landed, she carefully drew herself up from the heap she had landed in, gazing fearfully at the sight before her. Had it worked?

The earth trembled as a vicious snarl rumbled deep within the demon's throat. The creature that had once been Inuyasha lifted itself from ground, eying the woman who stood several feet away. Kagome turned, thinking to run away from the beast that had consumed her love's body. But the creature had different plans, and intercepted her before she had gone three feet.

With a fluid grace that the hanyou had lacked, the demon pounced on the girl, pinning her to the ground with two powerful arms. The muscles rippled with barely contained pleasure as he glared down at his prey, his lips twisting into a grotesque mockery of a smile that stopped Kagome's frantic heart in her heaving chest.

"Inuyasha…please…snap out of it!" She tried to back away from the burning, hateful eyes of the demon before her, but the beast held her fast. The subjugation spell had failed to transform him back to his hanyou form, which could only mean one thing. That Inuyasha was no more, that the only part of the hanyou she had loved was the physical shell.

But Kagome refused to give up on him. With a strength that surprised her, she managed to throw the demon from her, using her legs to launch him into the air. Quickly, she rolled to the side, leaping up at a dead run. She had to reach her bow and quiver…

Kagome had just enough time to scoop the items from the ground before he struck again. This time he used his claws, slicing at her midsection with deadly accuracy. But the miko pulled away just in time, and the claws sliced through her stained uniform shirt, just barely missing the fragile flesh beneath. "Inuyasha, stop it! I know you're still in there, so snap out of it already!"

The demon ignored her, continuing his deadly advance. Another idea suddenly struck Kagome, and she reached out, grabbing the demon's arm before he could leap away.

_Please, let this work…_

For a moment, nothing happened. The wind, which suddenly seemed to have found its voice, howled in rage as it whipped at tore at the pair. The earth's anger reflected in the demon's eyes, which glowed a bloody crimson that promised only pain and death. A tremor escaped from his throat, and the evil eyes trailed down his arm to where the miko held him fast. "Foolish wen-"

The scream that was unexpectedly ripped from his lips caused chills to run down the girl's spine. But she held onto the demon, forcing the power that now surged within her scraped body into him. The result was a brilliant light that shamed the moon and stars above; a lavender glow that enveloped the pair until Kagome was forced to shield her eyes. As she squeezed the lids closed, she let out her own scream; a plea with the gods who watched above to end the madness that had taken over her love's heart.

The evil that had taken control fought against the girl's power, and the wind whipped at her mercilessly. She braced herself against it, forcing her mind to block out the screech of the wind and the anguished, furious howl that exploded from the demon's body. The chaos rose to a frenzied peak, pushing at the miko's body and mind until she felt that she could take no more. Kagome shook her head violently, refusing to give in, refusing to give up. "No!" she cried. "I won't let you go! I love you, Inuyasha!"

The wind and the demon's scream merged into one, surrounding the two combatants in a force that shook the very earth. The wind tore branches from nearby trees, and the rolling clouds above let loose evil's fury with a deafening clap of thunder. Lightening illuminated the scene in a sudden flash, showing the two still locked in mortal combat. They stood, surrounded by the glow of the miko's holy power, struggling to hold their footing as the wind whipped at their bodies.

Then the lavender light exploded in one final, brilliant flash, breaking the girl's hold on the demon and throwing them apart. The heavens released one last bolt of lightening, then, seemingly spent, settled for a steady, driving rain.

Kagome slowly opened her eyes. The rain was quickly soaking her body, plastering her thick, dark hair to her face before she could even manage to pick herself up from the cold ground. As she stood, she took a moment to steady herself before stumbling across the blasted glen. She did not even notice that the earth around her was barren, stripped of its soft grass and flowers from the clash of holy and demonic powers.

Inuyasha was sprawled several feet away from where she had landed. As she crept across the sodden earth, her heart skipped a beat. She bent down next to his prone form, poised to run if need be. One shaking hand brushed the wet hair from his face, and she waited, fearful of what she would find when he awoke.

A moan escaped his lips, causing her to jump. "Inu...yasha…?"

His eyes still closed, he let out a snort that instantly brought a smile to her face. "Yeah…?"

The response was weak, but it was all she needed. She threw herself onto his soaked chest, not even caring that the rain continued to pour down around them. She sobbed uncontrollably, clutching his haori in her bruised hands. "I thought…I thought I'd lost you…"

He brought an arm up to wrap around her shaking form. "Yeah, well, I'm not that easy to kill."

After a few moments in his embrace, Kagome managed to tear herself away from him. She looked down at the hanyou, noticing that his eyes were still closed. _He must be in pain…I have to get him back to Keade and the others…_"Come on, let's go home."

Kagome helped him stand, the smile still plastered to her face. She offered to help him walk, but he seemed to be able to stand on his own. His bangs fell over his face, hiding the eyes beneath as he motioned her ahead. Quickly, he fell into step behind her, watching as the kind, trusting girl turned away toward home.

A sick smile crept onto his lips as he let his eyes slip open. They were blood red.

The last sound that drifted to the hidden heavens above was his quiet whisper. "I am the demon."


End file.
